1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lightweight snowmobile traction stud, and in particular an aluminum stud, for improving the handling and speed of snowmobiles, especially racing snowmobiles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Snowmobiles are a well-known winter time recreational vehicle. The popularity of snowmobiling for both recreational use and for racing has grown significantly in recent years, resulting in dramatic improvements in the technology of snowmobiles. A number of improvements have dealt with increasing the handling and speed of the vehicle.
The propulsion system of a snowmobile is typically comprised of an "endless" track which rotates about a forward drive wheel, a rear idler wheel, and several smaller intermediate idler wheels. In order to augment the traction of the snowmobile track, a number of metal studs may be fixed to the track. Generally speaking, a stud is ordinarily a relatively thin metal nail or pin which penetrates the snow and ice for the purpose of enhancing the vehicle's traction and thereby propel the vehicle at a greater speed. Several efforts in recent years have been directed at improving the design of snowmobile traction studs. See for example the snowmobile traction studs disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,055 to Lynn J. Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,266 to James R. Musselman et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,351 to Edward R. Rubel. Unfortunately, current snowmobile traction studs suffer a major drawback - - - weight.
A snowmobile track may have from about 100 to 400 studs installed on it. Generally, the greater number of studs on the track the better the traction. However, the greater the number of studs added to the track, the more weight that is added to the vehicle. Current snowmobile traction studs are usually made of steel or other relatively heavy metal. Installing 400 steel studs on a snowmobile track in combination with the centrifugal forces resulting from rotating the track at a high speed can result in adding the non-rotating equivalent of up to 160 pounds onto the vehicle. Obviously, a heavier vehicle cannot go as fast or handle corners as well as a lighter one, and in racing, the added weight may mean the difference between winning and loosing the race. Consequently, there is a need for an effective lightweight snowmobile traction stud.